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Can I be online and personal?

As the business world becomes more and more digital, are you worried about losing that personal touch?

Can I be online and personal?

It’s hard as a small or medium-sized company to let go of that face-to-face way of conducting your business – especially if you have been established for many years and have always operated in a certain way.

In fact, for many SMEs, the personal touch is a selling point. It may be the reason why many local and small companies resist embracing a digital world. So is it possible to have both a modern, forward-thinking and up-to-date company with a strong online presence, whilst still maintaining that personal element?

One thing to remember is that whilst your website and social media provide the face of your company online, that doesn’t stop you from meeting customers and talking to people on the phone. Think of your online presence as an extra way of introducing you to people who may not have otherwise come across you, not a replacement for real contact. Back your online activity up with the usual phone calls and meetings.

You can also use face-to-face contact and phone calls to promote your online presence – encouraging people to go and have a look at your website or follow you on social media. This is a great way of ensuring that they don’t forget about you after you have spoken to them.

Secondly, your online presence needs to be designed to reflect your business in the same way as you would face-to-face. In other words, keep it personal and don’t fall into the trap of thinking it has to be over-corporate. Use language that will appeal to your market and give them information that they will find interesting.

Give your company a face – use pictures of members of staff on your website and social media to allow your audience to relate to you. For some types of businesses, it can also be good to tell people a bit about the staff.

Finally, as you will have probably heard before, use your social media presence to strike up a relationship with existing and potential customers. Engage with them, offer tips, advice and information, write posts that encourage them to interact with you and remember to always respond to them.

Customers expect to be able to find businesses online these days, even small, local businesses, so investing time and money into this area of your operations certainly doesn’t mean you are losing your personal connection with them as long as it is done right.

If you need help with your online presence, speak to an Infoserve expert today. Call us now on 0800 089 0879 or visit our website at www.infoserve.com